全球暖化

微藻固碳減量的效益極大，1年1公頃可固碳減量達58到90公噸，遠比植樹固碳減量的1年1公頃25公噸，高出2到4倍之多。以該廠內的螺旋藻池而言，10平方公尺大的面積，1年的減碳總量即可達到0.58到0.9噸。

利文斯通說，他對因當地地形特點而不得不駕駛四輪驅動車輛的蘇格蘭山區農民表示理解，但倫敦市民在市區內駕駛那種大型車輛則未免有些“滑稽”。 “根據排放量收費會促使人們選擇使用較為清潔能源的汽車，或者改乘公共交通工具，而繼續駕駛重污染汽車的人也會為他們造成的污染付出代價。這就是‘污染者埋單’原則。” 這位倫敦市長說，他希望這一舉措會在全世界產生影響並引發其他城市效仿。 他預計，新計劃將為政府帶來每年3000萬英鎊（5840萬美元）至5000萬英鎊（9740萬美元）收入，其中大部分將用于在倫敦市內修建自行車道。

Energy efficiency. An effective way to limit CO2 emissions is to not produce them. The signatory financial institutions will encourage clients to invest in cost-effective demand reduction, taking into consideration the value of avoided CO2 emissions. We will also encourage regulatory and legislative changes that increase efficiency in electricity consumption including the removal of barriers to investment in cost-effective demand reduction. The institutions will consider demand reduction caused by increased energy efficiency (or other means) as part of the Enhanced Diligence Process and assess its impact on proposed financings of certain new fossil fuel generation. Renewable and low carbon distributed energy technologies. Renewable energy and low carbon distributed energy technologies hold considerable promise for meeting the electricity needs of the US while also leveraging American technology and creating jobs. We will encourage clients to invest in cost-effective renewables and distributed technologies, taking into consideration the value of avoided CO2 emissions. We will also encourage legislative and regulatory changes that remove barriers to, and promote such investments (including related investments in infrastructure and equipment needed to support the connection of renewable sources to the system). We will consider production increases from renewable and low carbon generation as part of the Enhanced Diligence process and assess their impact on proposed financings of certain new fossil fuel generation. Conventional and advanced generation. In addition to cost effective energy efficiency, renewables and low carbon distributed generation, investments in conventional or advanced generating facilities will be needed to supply reliable electric power to the US market. This may include power from natural gas, coal and nuclear technologies. Due to evolving climate policy, investing in CO2-emitting fossil fuel generation entails uncertain financial, regulatory and certain environmental liability risks. It is the purpose of the Enhanced Diligence process to assess and reflect these risks in the financing considerations for certain fossil fuel generation. We will encourage regulatory and legislative changes that facilitate carbon capture and storage (CCS) to further reduce CO2 emissions from the electric sector.

A new model produced by the Met Office’s Hadley Centre has shown that current estimates of increases in water levels fall short, due to a failure to acknowledge the effect of carbon dioxide on vegetation. As part of the process of photosynthesis through which they make their energy, plants absorb water from the ground through their roots and exhale it into the air from their leaves as water vapour. However, higher levels of CO2 inhibit their ability to do this, which will result in less water being transferred from the ground to the air. Soil is likely to become waterlogged and flooding exacerbated. Richard Betts, the scientist behind the research, commented that “current impact assessments will need to be reworked.” The results, published in journal Nature today, predict that climate change and its effect on plants will cause river flow to increase by 13% over the next 300 years unless CO2 emissions are reduced.

西班牙二氧化碳排放量首次下降 記者陳海通 方長平 據新華社馬德里4月19日電 根據世界觀察研究所和西班牙勞工委員會近日發布的報告，2006年西班牙二氧化碳排放量比上一年下降4﹒1％，這是自1990年以來該國二氧化碳排放量首次大幅下降。 　　去年西班牙國內生產總值同比增長3﹒9％，但二氧化碳排放減少，主要是因為西班牙大力發展水電、風電及核電等能源。西班牙是僅次于德國的世界第二大風力發電國，遍布全國的風力發電設施為經濟發展提供了大量可再生能源，僅此一項就使二氧化碳排放量同比減少3﹒7％。不過西班牙距實現《京都議定書》目標還相差很遠，今后5年中每年需要至少花費7億歐元，用于購買二氧化碳等溫室氣體的排放配額和發展清潔能源，以抵消規定排放量之外的增長量。 　　

「空氣」也能作買賣？ 英國商人黎興頻繁穿行中國，為愛斯凱公司經營"空氣生意"。愛斯凱游走於東西方，在發展中國家的企業購買"碳減排指標"，然後分配給股東，再把多餘指標拋向市場，從中賺取價......